Archives for April 2017

Noah Brown, WR (Dallas Cowboys):

Noah Brown was the first Buckeye taken on Day 3 of the draft, and better late than never. At 6’2″, 222-pounds, Brown is an imposing Wide Receiver with the size to bully the smaller Defensive Backs and box them out for the football. He couldn’t have gone to a better team, and he joins fellow Buckeye Ezekiel Elliot in Dallas. Brown has Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley to work with and he will compete with the rest of the receiving group for reps and a roster spot. During the 2016 season, Brown was used heavily early on in the year, but the lack of creativity in playcalling derailed his once promising season. In the Oklahoma game, Brown was the go-to guy and he bullied his way to a stellar 4 touchdown game at Norman, Oklahoma. He made highlight reel catches early and often and he gave the Sooner Defense fits. After that however, his usage declined with a combination of poor line play and playcalling on offense. He was underutilized and could have used another year in college, as he left for the NFL and caught the team unexpectedly. Brown is a project, but he has the skills to flourish in Dallas’ offense. He has a few injury concerns, but he should be in good hands.

Curtis Samuel, WR (Carolina Panthers):

Curtis Samuel was the first Buckeye that was taken on Day 2 of the 2017 Draft, being selected with the 40th overall pick by the Panthers. The Panthers have spent picks on back to back offensive studs due to the losses of Ohio State Alums Ted Ginn and Corey Brown during free agency. With Samuel the Panthers will be getting a playmaker just like McCaffery who can play multiple positions. Both players have the speed and they will help Cam Newton give opposing teams defenses fits. Samuel will be used early and he will work in the slot, and he may see some time at Running Back. Samuel is 5’11” and 196-pounds and turned in a 4.31 40-time in the combine. His measurable and his talent will be utilized to spread the opposing defenses and keeping them honest during games. He will share time with McCaffrey, but I feel like Ron Rivera will give both draftees ample opportunities to shine.

Raekwon McMillan, ILB (Miami Dolphins):

Raekwon McMillan, a recruit out of the Peach State was the second Buckeye taken in Round 2. At 6’2″, 240 pounds he is the motor that was in charge of the Buckeye defense the last two and a half seasons. He has the speed and the leadership abilities that will continue to flourish at the next level. He is viewed as a 3 down linebacker and he must show development to see some playing time this fall. McMillan is the first Inside Linebacker taken over Vanderbilt’s own Zach Cunningham, and he will be behind newly acquired addition Lawrence Timmons and Kiko Alonso, who re-signed with the team this offseason. Behind both of them McMillan will have the time to develop under Timmons, who arrived after time in Pittsburg and Alonso, who was still hasn’t established himself in the league yet. McMillan’s only concern is in coverage, but he is a sure-tackler, who can stuff the run when called to. He can become great with some time, so I can see him as a back-up for now, but he can flourish with the right coaches in place.

Pat Elflein, C (Minnesota Vikings):

Pat Elflein was the Swiss Army Knife out of Ohio State who can play multiple positions along the Offensive Line. During the Ohio State Championship year Elflein began at Guard and then the following season he seamlessly switched to Center, where he earned the award for the Top Interior Lineman Award in his last season at Ohio State. At 6’3″, 303-pounds he will compete with the likes of Joe Berger and Nick Easton for the starting Center gig in Minnesota. If he cannot beat out the others at Center, Elflein can compete for the starting job at Guard opposite of former Ohio State Alum Alex Boone. The Vikings have another Guard in waiting and all Elflein needs is an opportunity to play and earn playing time. The Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook in the Second round and he will look to Elflein to block for the fellow rookie in the upcoming season. Elflein is a tireless blocker that almost always finishes until the whistle is blown. There are questions about his overall strength, but with an NFL Caliber strength and conditioning program, he will improve.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been churning out talented prospects since Coach Meyer’s arrival in Columbus. For the last five years, Ohio State has been a force both on the recruiting trail and they have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to depth and talent. Meyer and company develop NFL caliber players and then reload once their star players leave to the next level. This is an impressive feat as another group of talented prospects, three to be exact, have gone in Round 1 of the draft. There are a few more Buckeyes that will hear their names called, but for now, let us see who was taken and by who.

Marshon Lattimore, CB (New Orleans Saints):

Lattimore has one year of full-time starter duties, but he made the best of it turning out a successful campaign as a starter. It was a long time coming, but he persevered and showed his talent. The Saints took Lattimore with the 11th Overall pick and they were in need of help at the Cornerback Position. The Saints went Buckeye last year with Vonn Bell and Michael Thomas, and Lattimore will have some familiar faces on the roster. Lattimore is an ultra-talented corner with the speed and technique to succeed. He will most likely see some early playing time due to the lack of talent on the roster.

Malik Hooker, S (Indianapolis Colts):

Malik Hooker played Safety at Ohio State and is also another one-year starter who flourished during his lone season as a starter. Hooker almost left as he sat impatiently behind Vonn Bell, but all things come with time. Hooker has the ball hawking ability to get takeaways and the range to break up passes. After the loss of Mike Adams, the Colts needed someone to take his place and with Hooker they have a playmaker who can be a game-breaker on defense. During the draft process, Hooker was often compared to former Baltimore Raven great Ed Reed. Interesting pick to say the least and as the second Safety taken, he will also most likely start from day 1 barring any unforeseen injuries.

Gareon Conley, CB (Oakland Raiders):

Gareon Conley, a two-year starter at Ohio State is another long and athletic Cornerback, that played under Coach Meyer and company. Less than a week prior to the draft allegations of a rape were made, and his draft stock took a major hit, a near death blow that forced teams to pass on him. Now that he has been drafted, he will have to work harder than ever because of this impending investigation. He is another athletic and talented corner with good technique. He will start guarding the slot until he proves that he can start for the Raiders. The Raiders believed in him enough to take the chance on him, all we can do is wait and see.

3. Chicago Bears: Marshon Lattimore, DB, Ohio State. The best DB in the draft is available and also fills a big need.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU. Blake Bortles needs a run game to help open up the pass game.

5. Tennessee Titans: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford. The Titans probably really want to trade this pick to draft Mike Williams. They’ll take the best player available and hope Williams is there at 18.

6. New York Jets: Christian Mccaffery, RB, Stanford. With the depth of the secondary in this draft the Jets go with a playmaker

7. Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Hooker, DB, Ohio State. The Chargers defense will soon be known as the Silver Bolts because of all the Buckeyes on this defense.

8. Carolina Panthers: Johnathan Allen, DL, Alabama. Mccaffery is off the board they’ll look to drop the pick. Possible place for the Browns to move up. They’ll take the best player available if they keep the pick

11. New Orleans Saints: OJ Howard, TE, Alabama. Howard is a Top 5 talent. Though, it is to hard to justify drafting a TE that high. The Saints offense has shown how hard life has been without Jimmy Graham.

12. Cleveland Browns: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina. The Browns should not be reaching this high for a QB, but this is the Browns we are talking about.

18. Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, WR, Central Michigan. Has the potential to be the best WR from this class.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State. Another Top 10 player with character issues. The Bucs lost out on the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes and look to give Winston some help.

20. Denver Broncos: Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama. While he started at Alabama for 3 years on the left side. The right side is where he belongs in the NFL. The Broncos need more help than anyone can imagine on the OL.

21. Detroit Lions: David Nkoku, TE, Miami. Add another surprise in the first round. The Lions personnel has New England ties. We all know how deadly the Pats offense is with 2 TE’s. The Lions look to duplicate that.

22. Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky. The Dolphins will look to move Tunsil to OT and that opens a spot and a need at OG.

23. New York Giants: Garrett Bolles, OL, Utah. The Giants need to move Flowers over to RT. Bolles has the ability to be a good LT in the NFL.

24. Oakland Raiders: Kevin King, DB, Washington. The Raiders gave up a lot of big plays in the passing game last year. With King’s size and speed. The Raiders look to limit those kind of plays.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Adoree Jackson, DB, USC. The Seahawks need depth in the secondary. Having Jackson and Lockett would give the Seahawks great flexibility in the return game. This will maybe allow Lockett to focus on his WR skills.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech. I believe that Mahomes will be the second QB off the board. I feel his skill set is exactly what Andy Reid wants. He has a quick, but funky, release. He is athletic and can make the throws in the West Coast offense.

29. Green Bay Packers: Tre’Davious White, DB, LSU. The Packers showed they are in need of some depth in the secondary.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame. Kizer is Big Ben, but 2 inches shorter. Putting him in a stable environment and culture will help minimize his character issues.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Quincy Wilson, DB, Florida. DB is a deep position this year. After they let the Pats throw wild on them in the Super Bowl the Falcons will add depth in the secondary.

32. New Orleans Saints: Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA. The Saints will look to add to their pass rush after going offense with their second pick. In a division with Cam, Ryan, and Winston. You need all the pass rushers you can get.

The Coaching staff is hot on the recruiting trail, and once again they plucked another SEC type of player out of the South. Banks is another lanky Defensive Back that will potentially join the Buckeyes ultra-talented Supreme18 and they could only improve from here on out. Banks is a 6’1″, 186-pound Corner who can play Safety with his overall length. This class will see a lot of their scholarships go toward the defense. The Secondary, or BIA, will potentially lose this season’s starters IF things go like last year and IF the starters blossom during the season. Banks did not follow in his brother’s footsteps and did not follow him to Florida, but this could be a good thing for recruiting Florida and the rest of the South. This recruiting cycle will be another one for the ages, stayed tuned in for some booms. This class will be epic.

Coach Johnson and Coach Meyer struck gold once again, plucking highly touted Defensive End Brenton Cox out of the talent rich state of Georgia. Another notch is placed on their belts, as they add another talented Defensive End for Coach Johnson’s Rushmen package. Cox is a hybrid and he is listed as a DE/OLB, and he would be paired with current Ohio State commit, Taron Vincent and they are still chasing more playmakers along the Defensive Line to add depth to compensate for the impending losses after next season because most of the starters are upperclassmen.

Cox is a monster that will only improve under the watchful eye of Larry Johnson. He can bend with the best of them and he has the size and speed to boot. He is currently 6’5″, 240 lbs. and he will be a terror along the edge for years to come. Another great addition to what will be another stellar class for the Buckeyes. This is the first commit since the two of the spring game, and there might be more to come. Go Bucks!

Our Jacob Seymour offers up a mock draft that suggests the QB class is not as highly valued as some suggest. This of course reflects the futility of predicting trades.

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garret, DL, Texas A&M. Best player in the draft fills a need for the Browns

2. San Francisco 49ers: Marshon Lattimore, DB, Ohio State. Best DB prospect gives the 49ers a place to start rebuilding. Fournette could go here, but the OL is good enough to select a RB at #2

3. Chicago Bears: Malik Hooker, DB, Ohio State. Bears need playmakers in the secondary and they get the best play making safety since Ed Reed.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU. Blake Bortles needs a run game to help open up the pass game.

5. Tennessee Titans: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson. Best WR prospect, he proved how good he is against OSU and Bama. Mariotta needs a #1 WR.

6. New York Jets: Jamal Adams, DB, LSU. The Jets need talent and Adams is a complete safety. He will allow the Jets to do different things in the back end

7. Los Angeles Chargers: Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford. Chargers go best player available. Bosa and Thomas will be a scary future for opponents

8. Carolina Panthers: Christian Mccaffery, RB, Stanford. His versatility allows the Panthers to fill the holes they have in the offense.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Johnathan Allen, DL, Alabama. Rumors of his shoulder injuries is what causes him to drop. With the Bengals talent he is worth the risk.

10. Buffalo Bills: John Ross, WR, Washington. This will be the surprise of the draft. Watkins has proven to be unreliable when it comes to staying healthy. That forces the Bills to try and find another playmaker

11. New Orleans Saints: OJ Howard, TE, Alabama. Howard is a Top 5 talent. Though, it is to hard to justify drafting a TE that high. The Saints offense has shown how hard life has been without Jimmy Graham.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State. Another Top 10 player with character issues. The Bucs lost out on the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes and look to give Winston some help.

20. Denver Broncos: Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama. While he started at Alabama for 3 years on the left side. The right side is where he belongs in the NFL. The Broncos need more help than anyone can imagine on the OL.

21. Detroit Lions: David Nkoku, TE, Miami. Add another surprise in the first round. The Lions personnel has New England ties. We all know how deadly the Pats offense is with 2 TE’s. The Lions look to duplicate that.

22. Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky. The Dolphins will look to move Tunsil to OT and that opens a spot and a need at OG.

23. New York Giants: Garrett Bolles, OL, Utah. The Giants need to move Flowers over to RT. Bolles has the ability to be a good LT in the NFL.

24. Oakland Raiders: Kevin King, DB, Washington. The Raiders gave up a lot of big plays in the passing game last year. With King’s size and speed. The Raiders look to limit those kind of plays.

25. Houston Texans: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina. I feel Trubusky is better than any QB on the Texans roster right now. So whatever they get out of him will only increase their playoff chances.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Adoree Jackson, DB, USC. The Seahawks need depth in the secondary. Having Jackson and Lockett would give the Seahawks great flexibility in the return game. This will maybe allow Lockett to focus on his WR skills.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech. I believe that Mahomes will be the second QB off the board. I feel his skill set is exactly what Andy Reid wants. He has a quick, but funky, release. He is athletic and can make the throws in the West Coast offense.

29. Green Bay Packers: Marlon Humphrey, DB, Alabama. The Packers will take the best DB available,. After last season’s crazy injury bug in the secondary. Would not be surprised if they hold open tryouts just to get bodies back there.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame. Kizer is Big Ben, but 2 inches shorter. Putting him in a stable environment and culture will help minimize his character issues.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Quincy Wilson, DB, Florida. DB is a deep position this year. After they let the Pats throw wild on them in the Super Bowl the Falcons will add depth in the secondary.

32. New Orleans Saints: Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA. The Saints will look to add to their pass rush after going offense with their second pick. In a division with Cam, Ryan, and Winston. You need all the pass rushers you can get.

The Starter:

The Quarterback is what makes the offense go and after a rare poor performance combined with poor offensive play calling, J.T. Barrett quickly returned to redeem himself for one last season at the helm. At the annual spring game, he showed why he was the starter, but his performance was far from perfect as he missed some of his receivers. He will lead this years Buckeye team to show that he is capable of being an deadly passer instead of someone who relies too heavily on his legs to make plays. Barrett will be an assassin because it is evident that Coach Wilson and Coach Day are making an impact with the Quarterbacks, but lets see how they execute when the season begins.

Back-up Quarterback-A:

Joe Burrow was impressive when Barrett was pulled off of the field. He had three scores through the air and a bunch of yards, and he flat out was impressive. He found receivers at will and he showed that he could play at the Division I level. Coach Meyer has quite the dilemma on his hands, but it is a good problem to have. Burrow showed his ability to sling the rock and read the defenses he faced. Burrow has done all he can to secure the job after his performance at the spring game. It is up to Coach Meyer at this point.

Back-up Quarterback-B:

Dwayne Haskins also threw for three touchdowns, and he too showed that he could play at the Division I level. He found his receiver and showed the ability to throw it deep, with a silky smooth touch and deadly accuracy. He will look to earn the backup job this season, and after J.T. leaves, he will look to beat out Burrow for the starting job. He is a year younger than Burrow and has the wheels and the biggest arm out of the rest of the Quarterbacks. If he can establish a foothold, he has the potential to succeed.

Scout Team Quarterback/Red Shirt:

Highly touted Quarterback out of Las Vegas was one of the biggest wins in last years recruiting class. He had quite the highlight reel and he established that during the spring game after he weaved through two defenders for a rushing touchdown. He was live and he did not have the black jersey on, so it is safe to say that he will work the scout team duties. He isn’t a terrible player and he has the traits that Coach Meyer looks for in a Quarterback. He has the arms, the speed and the accuracy, and he will be a star in the near future.

Finally, a Saturday with Buckeye football is back. It has been too long without any college football, especially after Ohio State’s disappointing loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoffs. But the Spring Game is the official start to a new season.

As most people were waking up on Saturday, the Buckeyes got a surprise commit from Max Wray. A once commit for the Georgia Bulldogs, Wray is the #4 Offensive Tackle, according to 247sports.

Wray is 6-foot-6.5 and weighs 289. He has excellent size and power. Another Buckeye commit Emory Jones certainly liked the commitment from Wray, as he sends a welcome tweet to his new lineman.

During halftime of the Spring Game, Ohio State got another surprise commit. This time from Josh Proctor. Proctor is from Oklahoma, and was seen to be an Oklahoma lean. This is a big time get for the Buckeyes, and the fans will love having this 4-star safety.

Proctor at 6 ft-2, 190 pounds has great length and speed. Also great ball pursuit. Then when he finds the ball carrier, he puts a huge hit on them.

This Saturday has been a great day for Buckeye fans. With the addition of these two commits, Ohio State has 6 players ranked in the top 67 players, and all 7 players are ranked in the top 100.

Ohio State is now ranked 5th in the nation in recruiting with only 7 total recruits with the average grade being 97.5.

The spectacle of the Ohio State Spring Game is upon us. This is one of the biggest offseason events that the Buckeyes host and this year will be no different. With many blue-chip recruits of all ranks, the Buckeyes will look to rise up in the rankings with a great showing, that is looking like it won’t disappoint.

*** The storylines will feature a brand new Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach in Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day, it will return a good amount of starters from last season with J.T. Barrett on offense and the majority of the Defensive Lineman. The inexperience and the lack of creativity and variety was a problem, but with a few old pieces in places and some new faces on the coaching staff, this makes for another intriguing storyline to follow. Look for a more improved offense that will tire out the defense with their upgraded tempo. Will they find their next version of Curtis Samuel? Will they find their next Devin Smith, Braxton Miller or Mike Thomas?

*** Zach Smith and Tony Alford will be tasked with providing playmakers and balance for the Buckeyes offense with members of their respective units. Will Coach Smith find the next stars for his unit? He needs Zone 6 to produce another playmaker and establish his role in the offense. The Buckeyes will have the talent, but can they find the playmakers to follow what Mike Thomas, Devin Smith, and Braxton Miller have built? Will Coach Alford they find their next version of Curtis Samuel or the next Ezekiel Elliott? He has Mike Weber, who acted as their workhorse, but will Antonio Williams and J.K Dobbins step up? Or can walk-on Jerimiah Knight carve out a steady role for himself?

*** Look for new Linebackers Coach Bill Davis to find his niche from within the Schiano captained defense. He took over for Luke Fickell and he looks to use his extensive NFL coaching experiences to bridge the gap left by Fickell. He lost Raekwon McMillan, but he retained Chris Worley, who is now the starter at the Mike spot, Dante Booker, who is coming off of an injury-plagued season and Jerome Baker, who had a coming out party last season. He also has a lot of talented personnel waiting for their chance to reload the Buckeyes.

*** Coach Schiano and Coach Coombs will have the task of rebuilding the Scarlet Curtain or B.I.A., the Best In America. Three of their starters, Malik Hooker, Garon Conley and Marshon Lattimore left for the NFL, leaving only Damon Webb as the only returning starter. The Buckeyes signed five talented DB’s during NSD and they will look to make an immediate impact or contribution to the lack of established starters.

*** Last, but not least, the recruiting aspect for this game will be one of great importance. Many blue-chippers will come to see if their prospective unit succeeds or what improvements have been made. The potential of someone pledging their allegiance to the Buckeyes are good, but only time will tell. Both the offense and the defense need to put on a show, and with a few Buckeye commits present, you really never know what could occur.

*** P.S. The BTN chose to air the Ohio State Spring Game over TTUN’s. Lol!